Search and Microsoft's Bing
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Better methods of delivering intuitive answers to search will drive even higher adoption of the Internet . Now comes Bing, Microsoft's answer to this search opportunity. Functioning as what Microsoft is calling a "decision engine," rather than simply linking users to sites, Bing searches often end with information directly from Bing. For example, if you type in the name of a city you get local weather, hotel prices and other information without having to click anywhere. And, depending on the content licensing rules of sites that Bing draws from, it can sometimes display content directly — from Wikipedia for example — without the user having to click through. It even has a built-in shopping engine that, when you search for a product, shows you images, offerings from multiple merchants as well as product information, customer reviews and expert reviews. The search engine also helps you find travel deals and lets you book travel without having to leave the site. I'm not sure how well it works, but it includes a "price predictor" that helps determine if the price of the ticket you're thinking of buying is likely to go up or down. Find out more below.